MLK Jr. Remembrance 2020

An Invitation from Pastor Arnold…

Dear Members and Friends,

Our January 19th worship service will commemorate the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose father changed both their names when influenced by the life of Martin Luther. The liturgy will be of the “free church” tradition of the United Church of Christ and proximate that of its German Evangelical wing. And the hymns will be from South African and African American roots.

That Sunday afternoon, at 3:00, the Greater Burlington Multicultural Resource Center will sponsor its annual Martin Luther King Program at the First Unitarian Universalist Society, 152 Pearl Street, Burlington, Vermont (directions). The keynote speaker will be Steven Reed, the first African American mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, where King began his ministry (see flyer below).

On Monday, January 20th (Martin Luther King Day), at 3:30, I have been invited to participate on a Civil Rights Panel to share thoughts about the advances and present-day challenges we face in realizing Dr. King’s dream. The program will be held at the Echo Leahy Center, 1 College Street, Burlington, Vermont (directions).

Later that evening, at 6:00, I will join Rev. Mark Hughes, founder of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, at ArtsRiot in a community discussion on various aspects of our national history of racism. We will use as a base of discussion Professor Tricia Rose’s documentary on systemic racism. ArtsRiot is located at 400 Pine Street, Burlington, Vermont (directions).